


I'm taking pictures in my mind (so I can save them for a rainy day)

by DrJackAndMissJo



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Bending (Avatar TV), Alternate Universe - Professors, Appa is a Tibetan Mastiff, M/M, Rain, They are in their 30s, aang ships them so much, backgroung kataang, druk is a labbrador, inspired by the meet cute in the 101 dalmatians, ish, meet cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-28
Updated: 2020-10-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:35:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27248158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DrJackAndMissJo/pseuds/DrJackAndMissJo
Summary: ..."But Appa was a very smart dog and didn’t put up a fuss on the whole way. Until they exited the entrance and went back into the park.Then Appa ran."ORSokka babysits for Aang, and he officially meets the cute new professor in the park.
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 204
Collections: A:tla





	I'm taking pictures in my mind (so I can save them for a rainy day)

**Author's Note:**

> As per usual, i don't own shit.  
> Title comes from Stay Beautiful by Taylor Swift  
> *  
> I found the surnames for Sokka and Zuko after some googling, I am neither Indigenous nor Japanese so if I made some mistakes let me know!

When they had first told him the great news, Sokka had felt joy, betrayal and a brotherly need to defend his little sister’s honour. All in that order.

Joy because, well, how can you not feel ecstatic when your little sister tells you that she’s probably the happiest she’s ever been, all thanks to you introducing her to a colleague, someone you actively know is probably the best person on Earth, with a heart of gold and a kind soul.

Betrayal because he had considered Aang to be his best friend for quite a while now and he had heard him ramble about this ‘ _girl that he liked so much_!’ till his ears fell off, all the time unaware that the girl in question was Katara, aka Sokka’s little sister. Sokka considered him like a brother and was over the moon at the thought of actually being family, but knowing that he had chosen to spend more time his sister instead of him still stung a little.

The brotherly need was, unlike the other two emotions, pure raw energy that took hold of him. He had been there when she had scraped her knees and when she had cried because of school and stress. He had been there to hold her hand every step of their lives, helping her tie her shoelaces and checking her Math homework to get her a better grade. They had held each other close in the months after Mom’s passing and he had fixed her hair for Dad’s wedding to Bato, years later. He had always been there for her, no matter what. And now he was supposed to just let her go merrily in the arms of another man who could potentially break her heart?

Sokka didn’t think so, which was why he pulled Aang aside as they left his apartment building to go and celebrate, and gave him the best shovel talk he could think of. Best friend or not, it was his little sister they were talking about and he needed Aang to know that he would be introduced properly with the sharp edge of his boomerang, if something went wrong, or if he even made her cry. By the end of it, Aang’s hair would’ve turned crispy white, if he had any.

But all he needed was to see the sappy matching smiles on their dumb faces as they held hands to understand that they were it, nothing was gonna come in between them. And that was what satiated his brotherly panic.

That had been six months ago, six months in which Sokka had to remind Aang that he was dating his sister and therefore he didn’t want a single detail and _“I swear I’m gonna murder you barehanded if you say something!”._ Six months in which he had to stomach third-wheeling their disgustingly sweet love story, desperately hoping he didn’t get cavities with all that sugar. Six months in which his initial thought that they were a match made up above strengthened and solidified.

And now, he was left sitting as they went back home, to officialise their relationship to Dad and Gran-Gran. They weren’t moving fast per se, but Sokka had choked on his boba when Aang had asked him how to carve an engagement necklace. In the end, they had settled on him asking Dad for permission the old fashioned way, and, catching two fish with a hook, doing all in one sitting.

He loved both of them dearly, but he was starting to slowly get crazy in their apartment as he kept Appa company. He’d had to move for a couple of days because animals were not allowed in his building and he didn’t want to lose a place so close to his department, and so hence the momentarily change of address. He had gotten to a place where he could wake up ten minutes before his classes started and that was not something he’d trade for a pet, no matter how cute and fluffy.

And boy, was Appa fluffy. Petting him was like touching a cloud, his fur was probably one of the softest things ever made. Move aside cotton candy, that was a texture worth obsessing over! The only downside was the amount of hair he shed, which was a deterrent to risking his apartment over the week. Thankfully Aang and Katara had decided to go South during Spring Break, otherwise, they’d have no Sokka available.

With all the kids away to party and with no lecture taking place, he had no reason to leave the apartment other than to walk Appa and to run some errands, all of it while the ginormous Tibetan Mastiff led him by the leash. For there was no mistake: Sokka might have been rather fit and proud of his muscles, but if the Tibetan Mastiff decided he wanted to go somewhere, they were going somewhere. He was incredibly lucky that he was such a well-behaved boy, otherwise, he was sure he’d end up flying in no time. And one thing was ice dodging and overall sailing, like they did in the South; another was free-falling out of the sky because he couldn’t keep up with the giant dog.

He had always wondered how a scrawny man like Aang could walk a massive beast like Appa and the only answer that came from his own experience revolved around witchcraft. There was no other possible explanation.

In hindsight, it would’ve been nice of Aang to share the magic knowledge before he left. Or maybe not.

Sokka had taken Appa with him as he went to pick up a book from his office. He enjoyed walking there, without the kids the streets were calm and quiet. Even Appa was sticking to his pace, not dragging him around as it had happened in their previous walks. It also helped that Appa knew their route, having accompanied Aang many times to and from work and, although the theology department was in the humanistic building, the way was mostly the same. The only difference was that their building was on the left side of the campus’ park, while Sokka’s scientific building was on the right. But Appa was a very smart dog and didn’t put up a fuss on the whole way. Until they exited the entrance and went back into the park.

Then Appa _ran_.

Sokka had been lulled into a feeling of false safety by his previous behaviours, he had shown such angelic manners that he could not ever expect him to react like this. As his initial instinct proved right, he indeed went up flying in the air, holding on the leash for dear life as Appa sprinted through the park and came to an abrupt stop suddenly, landing Sokka in a nearby bush.

When he managed to recompose himself, removing the occasional leaf that had decided to stick to his shirt and hair, Sokka called back for the dog. For a massive Tibetan Mastiff, Appa was a master of disguise. He emerged from behind a bench, apparently having found a friend to play with. Said friend was a pitch-black Labrador, with ember eyes that looked like two molten pots of gold. Sokka was enamoured.

“Hello, little one,” he said, leaning down to pat the soft fur and noticing the red and gold collar that read ‘ _Druk’_. He had personally never seen him before, despite running through the park at all sorts of hours, but Appa was very friendly and lively around him, so Sokka assumed this wasn’t their first rundown. Another thing Aang had forgotten to mention.

He probably would’ve put on a helmet if he knew. It had been a rather brisk fall, after all.

Sokka decided to just let them play, Appa had had a couple of quiet days and now he looked like he needed the reprieve. His fluffy tail was moving from side to side as he and Druk ran one after the other, remaining in sight as Sokka sat on the bench, enjoying the scene.

He supposed he could get some work done in the mid-time, picking up his book and dusting the cover. Thankfully it hadn’t been damaged in the fall, Sokka wouldn’t have known where to find a replacement with his annotation in the margins, made by countless reads.

He was so engrossed in his own mind that he didn’t realise Appa was staring up at him, a twig at his feet as he patiently waited for it to be thrown. Sokka scanned the park for signs of the other dog, unsure of how long he had just sat there, reading. His eyes landed on the energetic thing, jumping up and down on his back legs in front of his owner. They were pretty far away from him and Appa, but Sokka would recognise that striking figure anywhere.

The man was no other than Professor Akagawa, from the Literature Department, on whom Sokka might have had the biggest tiniest crush since the previous year’s New Year’s Party.

It was embarrassing, truly, the schoolgirl infatuation he had developed on the man. It felt like he had been struck by lightning at first sight, when they met. Spirits, they didn’t even introduce themselves to each other, simply stood on opposite sides of the room and acknowledged each other with a simple raise of their glasses when their gazes met. Sokka was looking for Aang rather desperately, wanting his friend to come and save him in that quick way of his from one of the most boring discussions he had had in his entire academic career, but the airhead seemed to be interested elsewhere.

It wasn’t hard to spot him, his bright orange and yellow suit really did set him apart from the sea of black tuxedos that their colleagues had fitted on. And, indeed, there he was, talking to the most gorgeous man Sokka had ever seen. He was dressed in a polished red suit with a black shirt, accented with gold details that matched the gold band that kept his long black hair in place and the round glasses that framed his face. He was casually nodding along to something Aang had said, his posture relaxed as he took his time to answer.

Sokka could see, even from far away, how his eyes began wandering around the room once he was done talking, taking in the sea of people as he too looked like he was searching for someone. By doing so, he barred to Sokka’s eyes even more room to gaze upon.

Not only the man had one of the most attractive physiques Sokka had seen in a while, long and lean legs that gave in to an equally lean yet muscular torso, but he had also one of the absolutely coolest scars in the world. It covered half of the left side of his face and was partially hidden by his glasses, yet when he turned around Sokka was able to see some of it. He was beautiful and carried himself with that knowledge.

He knew he was staring, but how could he not when perfection was literally a few feet away from him?

The moment their eyes met, Sokka’s world stopped dead in its tracks, along with his heart.

Fortunately for him, the mystery man seemed to give him an appreciative look as he raised his glass fully, in salute, mouth stretching in a smirk as he waited for Sokka’s reply. He followed suit, too dumbstruck to do anything other than to nod at him and mimic his action.

Unfortunately for him, Aang had quickly moved across from him and was now beginning to chat him up, breaking his concentration on the attractive stranger, who resumed his drinking and walked away, giving Sokka the perfect view of his well-formed back and behind.

Consequently, he spent the rest of the night looking for this angel that had captured his attention, to strike a conversation. Even to simply be able to see him again. But they never met again.

But Sokka was nothing if a persistent detective. He gathered information, bombarded Aang with questions. Turned out the mysterious man had transferred to BSSU from the University of Caldera, replacing the old Professor Piandao and taking his classes after his retirement, which was why Sokka had never seen him before that fateful party, four months prior.

They did pass each other in corridors, mostly whenever he hung out at Aang’s office, but they simply saluted and carried on with their respective tasks, Professor Akagawa all but running away to finish to run his errands after a quick goodbye.

They even met once outside of Campus, Sokka was getting in a store to grab some groceries when the other professor exited. He had time only to say a quick “ _Hello_!”, eyeing the ungodly amount of groceries the man was carrying in a single hand with ungodly strength that made Sokka’s brain fry up, before the man stopped abruptly, practically fully turning towards him as if he couldn’t see him otherwise, replied to his greeting, and walked away in the opposite direction as Sokka had come from as if he had a bunch of fire-ants following him. All Sokka could do was stare as he disappeared in the driver’s seat, but he did manage to catch a glimpse of his cheeks darkening in an adorable blush and, somehow, that was enough.

He had asked Aang what was the man’s deal, but his notoriously loud and cheerful friend didn’t spill anything for once in his life. He simply had sipped his tea and stared at Sokka, _“If you really want to know, you should ask him,”_ he had claimed cryptically. As if Sokka hadn’t already tried.

Professor Akagawa was apparently a wizard or Sokka was cursed, because every time he passed him or he gathered the courage to go to talk to that amazingly attractive human being, something happened. Once was Aang panicking, then Toph demanding chili, then the Universe was falling down and the world was coming to an end. Sokka didn’t know whose fault it was, but he hoped it wasn’t his.

Perhaps it was some weird Japanese mojo that he taught in his classes and that had backfired. Maybe it was something that had to do with true love and the trials that he would have to endure to get his Prince. Or maybe he was just doing too many Disney marathons and he had been daydreaming about that man for literal months.

Sokka had enthralled the thought, more than once, to sneak in one of his lectures. He was a man of the world, after all, and even if his entire career revolved around numbers, that didn’t mean his life had to too!

But all his classes happened either at the same time than his and took place in the building opposite to his, which meant that he would have to: a) dismiss a lecture just to be able to see Professor Akagawa; b) sprint past the park like he was still a student and embarrass himself in front of his crush even further.

Yet there he was now, standing a few feet away, patting Druk in the head as he smiled down at him.

It was the softest thing he had ever seen and Sokka was _doomed_.

Appa seemed to have read his mind, however impossible it might have been, and began to run away towards the two figures, playfully catching Professor Akagawa’s attention while Sokka mentally rallied his mind to function, his own body moving in autopilot towards the other professor.  
This could’ve been his shot and he wouldn’t throw it away!

He just prayed he wasn’t going to make a fool of himself. It would be a bother to move all the way across the country and start living as a hermit in a cave.

Professor Akagawa smiled timidly at him as Appa approached, stopping at his feet and seemingly expecting pats on his head as well, his tail flapping happily from side to side. He gave out a little laugh as he leaned down, the sound causing Sokka’s brain to blank. He was definitely going to replay it in his head whenever he felt down, but most importantly he wanted to be the one to get it out of the professor.

The closer Sokka got to the other man, the more he realized that his initial thoughts were indeed correct: he _was_ the most gorgeous human being to have ever existed. His long hair was tied in a half up half down bun hairdo that looked complicated but at the same time effortless, falling down on his shoulders like some sort of fancy cape. He was wearing a simple pair of black pants and a red shirt with a golden dragon printed on. To complete the look, he had thrown on a leather jacket and Sokka had to refrain himself from commenting about how good each item would look on his floor.

Even the thick and red scar that covered half of his face, and that was hidden behind a pair of sunglasses, seemed to give him an aura of wisdom and kindness, instead of making his face look gloomy and dour.

He had bent down to pet both dogs simultaneously, giving each soft compliments that made Sokka melt. He now understood fully why his classes were always full: not only was this man an Angel, he was as sweet as one!

And he was now speaking directly to him. “Good morning, Professor Amaruq,” he said sheepishly, righting himself and extending his hand out. He was the portrait of colloquial politeness among colleagues, or at least he would be if it wasn’t for the bright flushing of his cheeks as their hands met. Sokka was very thankful for that tell-tale: he was about to risk it all for this man and it would’ve been a bummer to have to fly to the mountains and jump down without a parachute at the inevitable rejection.

“Please, call me Sokka,” he exclaimed enthusiastically, ignoring the way his heart was basically beating out of his chest.

He was gifted with another soft smile from the shorter man, “Well, if that’s the case,” he said, tongue darting out to wet his lips and causing Sokka’s eyes to zero on his mouth, “I’m Zuko.”

This man was a gift from the Spirit World, Sokka decided right then and there. His voice was smooth and calming while being incredibly entrancing. He could imagine himself listening to him talk to no ends about anything and never getting bored. Especially if it was in that low tone that was making his head spin already.

His attention was momentarily pulled by Appa, the Mastiff pulling at his sleeve. It wasn’t that hard to understand what he wanted, not with the way Druk was circling them with rapt eyes and wiggled tail. Sokka laughed a little at their antics, immediately joined by Zuko who watched the scene with fondness, and threw for him the tennis ball Aang had recommended he never left the house without.

It was clear that it was Appa’s favourite toy, for the Mastiff sprinted after it like a rocket, the Labrador hot in his tail as they played around with each other nearby.

“Are you sitting for Aang?” Zuko asked, putting his hands in his pocket and motioning for the bench Sokka had sat at a few minutes prior. It wasn’t in Sokka’s plans to spend the afternoon out with Appa in the park, and he definitely did not like to stray away from his careful planning. But he would rather have a nice unprompted conversation at the park with the man of his dreams than stay huddled up in Aang’s apartment, watching the Great British Bake Off reruns as he critiqued batters and creams.

Sokka wondered just how close Aang and Zuko were: the airhead did talk a lot about him since the New Year’s Party, but that was more for Sokka’s benefit and suffering. If Zuko knew that Appa was Aang’s, then it must have meant that they had at the very least ran on each other at the park, which was very plausible.

But, considering everything he knew about Aang, it was very improbable that he wouldn’t immediately make friends with the nice new entry to the humanistic department and get attached to the bone talking about books and spirituality. Sokka himself knew how quickly that man could capture someone with his easy way and positive attitude, they were best friends, after all.

“Yeah,” Sokka began, rather uselessly, wondering just how much he could say. It wasn’t like Aang was a private person or shy, but he didn’t really want to focus his first conversation with his future spouse on him. So, instead, he said the next best thing: “I kinda owed him and since he’s out of town I figured I’d repay him.”

As if he didn’t now _really_ owe Aang. This probably counted as a blessing for his and Katara’s wedding, which Sokka would give easily now. If he had known that a walk around the park with Appa could get him the so hardly sought-for one on one meeting he had tried to get for months, he’d done it earlier!

Maybe this was just the Universe telling him to get a dog, but Sokka still counted it as a win in his books.

Somehow, once they had fully sat on the bench, they stopped talking. Sokka was too nervous to even utter a word and Zuko seemed fine just being there, watching the two dogs play with each other. Appa was now circling Druk, as if waiting for the moment to jump on his friend. Like this, he reminded Sokka of Aang fully, energetically wiggling his tail and he ran from place to place.

But the air turned colder the longer they didn’t talk to each other, or maybe that was just Sokka’s perception of it, either way, he wasn’t enjoying the silence.

He searched his brain for an appropriate topic for longer than he should have. He could see in his periphery Zuko’s shoulders become tenser by the second and he hoped it wasn’t his fault. Did his ADHD have to kick in now that he wanted to talk with the cute guy and make him ramble about Star Trek? Probably not the best idea.

Instead. He went with the next safe choice. “I haven’t seen you around much,” he said, internally cringing as soon as the words left his mouth. But they were out there and there was no way of taking them back. At least it was better than asking a pretty much complete stranger what he thought about Baby Yoda, right?

But Zuko seemed to understand where he was coming from, or perhaps he was just as bad at small talk as Sokka was, and he laughed a little, relaxing once more on the bench. “I must admit I’ve been a little overwhelmed, with the whole ‘ _new place, new life’_. I haven’t had much time for a lot of sightseeing.”

That, Sokka could do easily. He had lived in Ba Sing Se since college, having studied at BSSU before he got in as a professor. He knew all the cool spots the kids hung out at and he also knew all the touristy stuff that was worth a shot. And with Zuko being relatively new in town, he might even be able to sneak in a well-placed miraculous encounter. They seemed to live in the same area, or at the very least go to the same grocery store, which meant it wouldn’t be too weird to run into him coincidentally at the tea shop he wanted to recommend him. It would be like a sign from the Spirits and definitely not a very carefully constructed masterplan to meet him there in his free time.

Not that Sokka would know, he had not memorised the man’s whole schedule to realise when it would’ve been the best moment for the perfect ‘ _meet-cute’_ , although he had discussed it with Aang to no ends.

He could definitely do that. And while he talked about all that Ba Sing Se had to offer, his mind could fill in the blanks of his scheme. He just had to shoot his shot!

Or at least he thought he could. Before he went on a completely different tangent about the local aquarium.

It wasn’t Sokka’s fault. There he was, listing possible places and activities Zuko could do, more often than not accompanied by someone, and talking about them in order from worst to best, having memorized it all from his list of _‘possible date_ _material’_ , with secret information he had gathered in his quest to find true love after university, but he then felt like he had to spend more than a few words to describe the aquarium.

Maybe more than a few. Closer to a hundred.

It truly wasn’t Sokka’s fault: the aquarium reminded him of home. He and Katara had gone there many times during the years, sticking as long as they could in the arctic section, surrounded by water and fish. Letting the cold sweep in their bones and feeling, even for some feeble moments, like they were still in the South, waiting for Gran Gran to make her stewed sea prunes.

It was always incredibly hard to find them, even in a city as big as Ba Sing Se, where there was everything one could wish for. And even if he managed to find them in some Water Tribe restaurant, they were never up to comparison with Gran Gran’s. He and Katara had also tried to emulate hers, bringing some frozen from their trip South, but, in the end, it had backfired spectacularly.

They went to the aquarium the following day, sitting side by side as they watched a punch of tiger seals swim in front of them.

Sokka was, once again, so engrossed in his mind, retelling the story in detail, that he didn’t realise Zuko had stopped watching the two dogs play, instead he was focusing all of his attention to him. He had a look in his eyes that seemed unreadable, or Sokka simply couldn’t believe he was reading it properly.

“Do I have something on my face?” he asked, suddenly self-conscious and now running a hand to his cheeks and nose, half expecting to find dirt smeared there from his earlier flight. He knew he could ramble all day, switching from a topic to a completely different one, yet that was common ground now. But having dirt on one’s face without realising and while talking to the most beautiful man ever? Very not cool, Sokka!

Zuko, bless his soul, seemed to be amused by the scene, and grabbed Sokka’s wrist to stop their search. “No, don’t worry. I would have told you if you did,” he reassured him, letting his hand fall in his lap and moving closer to Sokka.

_“Why was he moving closer?”_ his brain rapidly fired, but the thought was lost as he slowly took the man in.

Once again, he had been right in his initial judgment: the scar should’ve looked menacing and threatening, but it only seemed to give him a kind and reassuring look. It was aided by the small smile he was wearing on his lips. Sokka couldn’t see his eyes due to the thick glasses, he supposed more prescription than fashion, but he was sure they were sparkling like a thousand stars.

“The aquarium seems wonderful,” he said, almost conspiratorially, leaning in so that their shoulders almost touched. Sokka couldn’t help but follow, drawn in by his heat. “Maybe we should go there one of those days, this way you can properly show me around.”

And it must have been Sokka’s dumb luck, or a sick joke from the Universe, or Aang’s spirit deciding to pull a prank on him from all the way across the world, but the skies opened up right at the moment when Sokka was about to answer. Not that he would’ve known what to say, exactly. He had been caught like a saber-tooth moose lion in the headlights by Zuko’s boldness and his mind was void of everything.

Perhaps it was a blessing, this way he couldn’t embarrass himself further, but he still cursed the skies up above as he jumped on his feet, raising his jacket over his head to somehow protect himself from the downpour. He tucked his book close under his shirt, it would really be a pain in the ass to dry out the stains.

Both Appa and Drunk returned immediately to them, seemingly enjoying splashing in the rain more than the two humans.

Sokka made a mental tally of what could happen now: he had to dry himself and Appa up pretty quickly, for which he would need supplies. Which already excluded his office, where he didn’t have any spare towels and clothes and where he had nothing for Appa to do in the wait but splatter water and mud all over his carpet and shelves, and excluded his own apartment, for similar yet diametrically opposed reasons. He was pretty sure the old troll that lived downstairs wouldn’t have appreciated a wet dog in the building. And he didn’t really fancy a walk in the rain for twenty minutes, more likely thirty, if he didn’t want to drown in the streets, until he reached Aang’s place. By the end of it, both he and the Mastiff would be soaked to the bone, each on their way for a nasty cold.

The sky didn’t seem like it was going to lighten up anytime soon, thunders shaking and parting the clouds in their wake.

Thankfully, in the end, the choice was lifted from his hands.

“I live close,” Zuko all but yelled, trying to make himself heard under the clangour of the rain, “you two can dry up at mine and wait for the storm to pass!”.

Nodding his understanding at him, and desperately trying not to blush like a schoolgirl with a crush at the prospect of spending time alone with Professor Zuko Akagawa in his own apartment, he leaned down to secure Appa’s collar in place, sticking his tennis ball in his pocket.

“Thank you,” was all he could say before they were off, running and ducking under balconies and stations on their quest to find warmth.

***

Drying Appa up was a harder task than anticipated.

But, in the end, it only took Sokka two towels, one of which was supposed to be for him but that Appa had quickly claimed, a spare blow-dryer that Zuko had kindly offered him, a soft smile on his face as he passed him the electronic, undoubtedly not wanting to be in his shoes with a massive beast in the bathroom, and twenty whole minutes of painfully slow brush and pat the Mastiff nice and clean, trying to get his fur back in mint condition. By the time he was finished, he managed to make him look presentable, his fluffy tail flapping quickly and happily as he sat down and admired his own reflection in the mirror from the bathtub. And they didn’t make that much of a mess, Sokka realized as he tried to mop the floor to avoid soggy paw prints on the rest of Zuko’s apartment.

The owner had disappeared to his own bathroom, taking Druk with him to undoubtedly clean him and himself up, and Sokka was left alone to his devices with the Mastiff. Not that he minded, of course.

Once Appa was nice and cute once more, it was his own turn to try and not look like he had just run a ten minutes’ walk in under five with a giant dog leading the way.

Easier said than done.

As soon as he had helped Appa jump from the bathtub, he went to examine himself on the sink, awaiting judgment. His hair was plastered to his forehead, some strands had definitely gotten loose from his tangled wolf tail from the run. It seemed like an unearthly mess that would take him ages to remove without causing any damage, the hair tie was now permanently taking residence in his scalp, he was sure of that.

Rain and frizzy hair were not a good match, no matter how much care and love he gave his locks every day.

His clothes were another thing he had no solution that wasn’t painful for: he was soaked to the bone, his pants were practically glued to his legs and he had basically attached a second skin of fabric on. Not even his socks had been spared. He could either: take them all off and wait for them to dry, locking himself in the bathroom to avoid the embarrassment of being seen by his crush in Chewbacca underwear, which would be a mortifying ordeal in its own without having to add the whole ‘ _locked up in a stranger’s bathroom’_ situation; or wait until the storm passed in his soggy clothes, ignoring how his socks might leave water everywhere even through the slippers Zuko had been kind enough to lend him as they entered the apartment.

Asking Zuko for clothes so he could stop being in a constant poodle was out of the window, Sokka would’ve rather died of a cold than having to ask for anything in his life. Besides, there was no way he would leave that situation with his dignity intact, and he needed it fully to be able to talk to Zuko some more!

Quite thankfully his book had been salvaged, so he could count it as the second on a very short list of wins for the day.

The first had been, of course, the chance to spend more time with Zuko, however watered down that might be. The third was seeing the cute smile the other professor had on as they ran under the rain, which was going to be a memory fondly kept in Sokka’s mind forever. He had caught it as the black-haired man had turned around to check on him and Appa, still hot in Druk’s trail, and Sokka had almost slipped on the pavement at the sight.

He had just seen the Sun Spirit shine in front of him and he was pretty sure he’d jump off a cliff parachute-less if Zuko asked with that smile.

And, once they had finally reached Zuko’s building, he had been regarded with another earth-shattering, show-stopping smile as he led the way up.

Sokka had to be honest with himself, as he tried to salvage his hair from the mess that had been created: if he already wasn’t crushing so hard on Zuko, he’d definitely try to either steal his apartment or to become roommates, however embarrassing it would be for two professors to be roommates like they were still broke students.

And Sokka was downright pissed at the fact that Zuko had managed to find a place like that, closer to the university than Sokka’s, in the little time he had been in town. He had spent three years looking for the perfect apartment and there Professor Akagawa waltzes in and gets one of the best ones in town? Not cool.

“Sokka?” Zuko asked from the other side of the door, gently knocking. Appa immediately jumped up at the noise, excitedly wiggling his tail as he patiently waited for Sokka to open the door and let him out.

He let out a little laugh as he petted the freshly dried fur, enjoying the sensation on his fingers. As soon as the door was opened, Appa sprinted out, undoubtedly searching for Druk. Sokka was just left standing there, with one hand on the handle and the other on the blow drier as he tried to warm himself up.

“Sorry it took so long,” he said sheepishly, trying to look everywhere but at Zuko, “Appa was soaked.” He knew, deep down, that the other man understood his situation, yet he couldn’t stop thinking about how embarrassing it was to keep a stranger’s guest bathroom occupied because you had to dry a massive dog, soaking yourself further in the process.

“No worries,” Zuko replied gently. He still had on that little precious smile that had Sokka melt earlier and his cheeks had a nice tint to them. Sokka really hoped he wasn’t catching a cold because of him, but the other man seemed warm and dry enough.

Then, out of the blue, he pulled out of nowhere a pair of joggers and a simple black t-shirt, both folded nicely on top of his hands. “I found some clothes that could fit you, in case you wanted to change and put them in the dryer. I apologise in advance if they are a bit tight.” His smile seemed to falter a little as a crease appeared in between his brows and he hastily began to ramble quickly: “Not that you have to! Just in case, you know, if you want to, I don’t know, not catch a cold? I assumed it might have been favourable in this way…”  
If Sokka hadn’t already been pretty obsessed with the man, he would’ve fallen in love harder and faster than Newton’s Apple.

He was the most adorable person in the entire Universe, his hair out of his bun and now freely falling on his shoulders. He had swapped his sunglasses for a pair of round ones that made him look too much like Harry Potter for Sokka’s liking: one thing was having your childhood dream on television and paper, the other was seeing him step out straight out of the blue in real life. Totally unfair.

Sokka quickly accepted the articles that were still in his hands, trying to give him a reassuring smile. It seemed to work, because Zuko’s shoulders immediately relaxed and he smiled back, his face splitting into a blinding grin. “Thank you Zuko. That’s very kind of you,” Sokka said, trying and failing to maintain his blushing cheeks down. This man had come straight out of each and every one of Sokka’s dreams.  
“It’s no biggie, really,” he replied, shrugging his shoulders and ruffling with his own hair, sending Sokka’s heart into a frenzy. How was it possible that everything this man did turned him into a blushing bubbling mess? He had just begun to retreat back into the bathroom, appreciating the chance to dry up properly and to recover from the hard blow of the other man’s vicinity, when Zuko spoke again: “Would you like some tea?”  
“Yes! You’re a lifesaver!” Sokka exclaimed, all but jumping excitedly on the spot. Zuko laughed openly at him, a beautiful sound that Sokka wished he could bottle and open on rainy and sad days. Better yet, he wished he could hear it at all times of the day and night.

Sokka did quick work of his clothes, trying to peel off the layers that had become one with his skin in the least painful way possible. In the end, Zuko’s clothes proved to be a rather tight fit, showing off his biceps and doing wonders for his ass, which he would never complain about. And maybe, if he was lucky, he might manage to catch a glimpse at Zuko’s reaction at the scene.

Who knew sudden rainstorms could be so nice?

He was immediately greeted by the sweet aroma of jasmine as soon as he reached the open space, finding Zuko pouring water from a kettle as Appa and Druk were snuggling on the carpet in front of the couch. Sokka was hit with a wave of familiarity and domesticity powerful enough to knock him off his feet.

“I hope jasmine was alright,” Zuko asked, fully concentrated in the two cups in front of him.

“It’s one of my favourites, actually.”  
The small smile that appeared on the other professor’s face was blinding, it probably was powerful enough to disperse the clouds and open up the sky, letting this rain stop. But Sokka still thanked it, for without the storm he would not be currently sitting in Professor Akagawa’s kitchen, drinking jasmine tea.

“Really? What a weird coincidence, I just stocked up on it!” he said, sitting down in front of Sokka and blowing the steam off his cup, seemingly content in warming his hands as his amber eyes met Sokka’s. “It’s not like Aang casually suggested I have some at hand, just in case, when I asked if you were more of a coffee person.”

In that moment, Sokka’s soul ascended to the Spirit Realm, leaving his mortal body. How dare this man be intelligent, incredibly attractive, charming _and_ witty!

Sokka almost choked on his tea at his words: he could not believe that that sneaky little airhead had had the audacity to refuse giving him desperately sought-after information about the Japanese Professor, yet had spilled apparently some tea, pun intended, on Sokka.

“You asked Aang about me?” he asked in utter disbelief. He had been betrayed by his own best friend, he had all but given his blessing for his sister’s hand and that was how he got repaid?

Zuko, unaware of his internal turmoil, simply shrugged and took a sip from his cup, the perfect picture of grace and poise. “You seem like an interesting person and there is so much online stalking one can do,” he casually claimed, momentarily backtracking on his own words as if he had found a flaw in front of him. “I wasn’t supposed to admit it, was I?” he asked, a hint of panic in his otherwise cool voice.

Sokka was speechless. He let out a little startled laugh, unable to contain his childlike joy. The man he had spent months obsessing over and internet stalking with Aang’s profile, too much of a chicken to ask for his Instagram before being properly acquainted, had spent perhaps the same amount of time doing the same to him! His crush liked him back!

But he could not, for the life of him, ruin this moment with his over eagerness, least of all he scared the other professor off with his forwardness.

So, instead of squealing like a teenager at their first concert, he composed himself and calmly replied: “I think it’s fair, I also did my research…” he trailed off, sipping his tea and carefully reading the other man’s expression. All or nothing, right?

He prayed to both La and Tui that he wouldn’t be too much.

Fortunately, this didn’t seem to be the case. Zuko laughed openly at that, slightly shaking his head as in disbelief. It was the most precious sound Sokka had ever heard and the fact that he had been the one to make it happen? It did swell his heart a tenfold.

How come everything Zuko did was endearing, he wondered briefly.

“Is it safe to assume that this might be mutual interest, then?”

He was sure he had died, now. There was no way this was his life, he had never once in his life been this lucky. And he had dated Suki in high school, so he considered his life to be full of blessings. Yet here he was, sitting in who was clearer by the minute was his soulmate.

“I would think so, my esteemed colleague!” he blurted out way too quickly to filter his thought. He internally cringed at his own words, but immediately relaxed at the smile that appeared on Zuko’s beautiful face.

“Okay, I might take it back,” he giggled out, bringing a hand to cover his mouth as his shoulders shook in silent laughter. Sokka couldn’t help himself from joining, nor he wanted to refrain himself.

He was about to reply when a loud whine drew their attention: Druk was seated near the table, close to his owner’s legs and had rested his head in his lap, staring up with wide eyes. Appa was nearby, tugging at Sokka’s leg for attention as well.

“They must be hungry,” Zuko commented, ruffling the fur on the top of Druk’s head, who began to wiggle his tail in earnest. He then moved to grab two bowls, causing Sokka to stand up in protest. He really didn’t want to impose on this beautiful man’s routine!

But Zuko silenced him with a simple raise of his hand, leaving no room for debate. “It doesn’t show signs of stopping,” he said, pointing at the windows.  
Surely enough, outside it still poured violently, fog encompassing the view as the sun set down. If it kept this up, there would be no way for Sokka and Appa to get back to Aang’s place without drowning in the streets. Perhaps it would’ve been best if they had just gotten home as soon as it started raining, Sokka wondered as Zuko set to work on the two dogs, fetching them water and food.

He then moved closer to where Sokka stood, still carefully examining the outside as if he might be able to control the weather. “Would you like to stay?” he asked in a small voice, somehow sounding unsure.

“Am I not going to bother you?”  
“I don’t think you could bother me if you tried,” came the reply.

Sokka couldn’t help himself: “Well, I do love proving theories wrong, shall I try?” he asked, fully turning towards Zuko and only now realizing how close they were now. His laughter died in his chest as he saw the look that crossed over Zuko’s eyes and he all but stopped breathing when he saw his tongue dart out to wet his lips.

“Oh is this a challenge?” the other man asked, voice dropped low and quiet. Sokka was _gone_ , if he had doubts and reservations before, they were all obliterated by that simple question.

He kept on studying Zuko’s expression, utterly fascinated in every little shift on his face as he spoke a soft “Perhaps,” purposefully letting his own lips remain parted and inviting.

He could not tell how had leaned in first, only that the feeling of his warm lips on his was ground-breaking and earthshattering at the same time.

All he could think about, as Zuko’s hands moved to caress both his cheeks and as he deepened the kiss, drawing the other man in and never planning on letting go, was: “ _Thank Tui for this storm.”_

**Author's Note:**

> THANK YOU SIN DUDE YOU'RE THE BEST!  
> And thank you so much for reading!  
> I know this was kinda all over the place, sorry!  
> Please do not forget to comment what you thought and leave a kudo!  
> Thanks again!  
> Till next time,  
> Jo


End file.
